Auth0 FGA is an authorization engine. WardenAuth is a platform.
Auth0 FGA charges ~$6 per million checks — but that's just the authorization decision. To get authentication, RBAC management, multi-tenancy, audit logs, and API key management, you need Auth0's B2B auth platform ($150–2,100/mo) on top. WardenAuth bundles all of it — RBAC, ReBAC (relationship tuples), audit, multi-tenancy, API keys — into one flat-rate plan.
Overview
Auth0 FGA is the gold standard for fine-grained authorization in enterprise. It's battle-tested, has excellent SDK support, and integrates with the Okta platform.
But it's an authorization engine — not a platform. You still need Auth0 for authentication, organizations for multi-tenancy, and separate tools for audit and API key management. For startups and growing SaaS products, stitching together three Auth0 products creates unpredictable, compounding monthly invoices.
Auth0 FGA (Okta FGA) — Strengths
- OpenFGA open standard — portable, not vendor-locked
- Rich SDK ecosystem (Go, Java, .NET, Python, JS, more)
- Built-in relationship model UI
- Enterprise SLAs and compliance certifications
- On-premise / BYO-cloud deployment option
- Native relationship-based access control (ReBAC)
Auth0 FGA (Okta FGA) — Limitations
- Per-check billing compounds quickly at scale
- Production requires paid plan — 1M dev-tier free but no SLA
- Tight coupling with Okta ecosystem
- Complex relationship tuples model has a learning curve
- No built-in API key management
- No multi-tenant RBAC — must combine with Auth0 B2B
Pricing comparison
| Scenario | Auth0 FGA (Okta FGA) | WardenAuth |
|---|---|---|
| 1K MAU, 100K checks | $323/mo (B2B Essentials + FGA) | $79/mo (Starter) |
| 5K MAU, 500K checks | $1,323/mo (B2B Essentials + FGA) | $79/mo (Starter) |
| 10K MAU, 1M checks | $2,129/mo (B2B Essentials + FGA) | $79/mo (Starter) |
| 10K MAU, 10M checks | $2,400/mo (B2B Pro + FGA Pro) | $249/mo (Growth) |
| 20K MAU, 50M checks | $4,340/mo (B2B Essentials + FGA Pro) | $3,499/mo (Scale) |
Feature comparison
| Feature | Auth0 FGA (Okta FGA) | WardenAuth |
|---|---|---|
| Fine-grained RBAC | ||
| Relationship tuples (ReBAC) | ||
| Authorization engine (per-check) | ||
| Built-in audit trail (40+ events) | ||
| API key management + rotation | ||
| Multi-tenant scopes (unlimited) | Limited (5 free orgs) | |
| Deny-wins + decision reasoning | ||
| SoD / Approval workflows | ||
| Webhooks | ||
| SSO / SCIM | Separate auth product required | Included (Business+) |
| Anomaly detection | ||
| Self-hosted deployment | OpenFGA (self-managed only) | Available (Enterprise) |
| Flat-rate, predictable billing | ||
| Auth-agnostic (keep your auth) |
Which one should you choose?
Choose Auth0 if you're already an Okta shop, need the OpenFGA standard, require on-premise deployment, or have existing Okta enterprise contracts. You'll get best-in-class auth + FGA, but you'll pay for each product separately.
Choose WardenAuth if you're building a new SaaS product, running on AWS Lambda or similar serverless infra, and want predictable billing that doesn't scale with traffic. Especially compelling if you're already using DynamoDB — we run single-table design, same as you.
Auth0 FGA is a great authorization engine. But it's one piece of a three-product puzzle (auth + FGA + org management). WardenAuth gives you the full platform — RBAC, ReBAC (relationship tuples), audit trails, API key management, multi-tenancy, SoD, approvals, and SCIM — at one flat rate. If you already have auth and just need fine-grained authorization with enterprise features, WardenAuth is the simpler, more affordable choice.
See for yourself — no credit card required.